Casebook 15: The Case Of The Dying Machine pt3
by TalepieceUK
Summary: From The Casebook Of Madame Vastra. Reunited but not out of trouble, Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint attempt to assist the people of the hives.


TITLE: The Case Of The Dying Machine pt3  
AUTHOR: Talepiece  
RATING: 12 cert.  
PAIRING: Vastra/Jenny  
SERIES: The Casebook Of Madame Vastra  
CONTINUITY: This is the third and final part of _The Case Of The Dying Machine_.  
DISCLAIMER: I own them not, please sue me not.  
CREDITS: This story is based on EM Forster's _The Machine Stops_.  
NOTE: So this is the conclusion of the ongoing story and of volume four. It was fun to write a three parter in the style of a Doctor Who serial and I might do so again at some point in the future.  
Apologies again for the curtailed run and for the delays. Hopefully the rest of 2015 will be a little calmer and I can get on with writing the Halloween and Christmas stories. Volume five will begin next year.  
(Friendly Advice #3: Just when you think it can't get worse, it very often does.)  
POSTED: July 2015

* * *

As the Colossus falls and Nature herself reclaims her domain, what hope is there for a race so enthral to the Machine? Reunited but no less in peril, Madame Vastra and her beloved companion Jenny Flint were to discover that salvation is not always a welcome gift.

Jennifer Strax Vastra-Flint.  
London, 1949.

* * *

The giant arm raced to the ceiling and into the gaping hole. The tiles folded back into place and only their ringing vibration indicated where the two people had been lost from view.

Vastra and Jenny sank down beside Kuno, his eyes still locked on the ceiling above.

"Mr Kuno? Sir, are you hurt?"

"What?" Kuno's shock quickly subsided and he glanced down at himself, "I...I am not...I believe. He pushed me away, allowed them to be taken in my place."

"No doubt the Doctor has a plan," Vastra said matter-of-factly.

Kuno stared up at her, blinking in confusion, "Plan?"

"Oh yes," Jenny reached out and hefted him to his feet, "he's that sort of chap, I'd say. And Miss Peri's quite the resourceful type too," she added, though Vastra heard the hint of doubt in her tone.

Kuno did not and he brushed himself off with renewed determination, "They will be deposited on the surface; that is where the Machine would have left me."

"But it took you from there, did it not?"

Kuno grinned at Vastra, "It did, in an act of spite, but my final punishment would be Homelessness."

"Living rough?" Jenny asked.

"Being left to die on the surface," Vastra answered for Kuno, "Is that not correct?"

"The ultimate sanction of the Machine."

"But that's where you want to be, isn't it?"

Kuno forgot himself and hugged Jenny. He pulled back hurriedly and gave an abject apology that Jenny waved away with a grin. "We must get to the surface and I know how; if this Doctor and yourself followed my path down then you must have reopened the hatch and the exit."

"We did," Vastra allowed but she held up a hand to forestall his excitement, "but we cannot go to the surface. We must warn the others as the Doctor said," she added in the face of Kuno's growing annoyance.

"Surely you want to save the rest of them?" Jenny said.

Kuno appeared quite doubtful of that but after a long pause he reluctantly agreed, "Then we must follow my Mother to her hive. The Central Committee are based there and must be informed."

Vastra glanced back at the large doors behind them, "I fear these Committees of yours are but facades for the Machine."

Kuno's face fell, "Then we are doomed."

* * *

Peri was barely conscious as the tentacles deposited them on the surface and the Doctor laid her gently on the grass to recover. He turned and caught a glimpse of the metal arms being sucked back into the hatch. It closed with a loud and very definite snap.

They were not, he judged, in exactly the spot that Kuno had escaped to, implying that there were any number of these shafts and hatchways on the surface.

"That will help them at least," he said to himself. Looking up he noticed the sleek bullet of an airship rising up from the large structure some way off.

"We need to be on one of them," Peri's voice came from behind him. It was low and confused but the Doctor was thrilled nonetheless.

"Peri! How are you feeling, my girl?"

Peri rubbed a pale hand over her face, "Like I was just yanked through a long tunnel by a sadistic machine. So exactly what happened, right?"

"That just about sums it up, yes." The Doctor knelt down beside her, casting a long look over his companion before he declared her well enough to stand, "Now, up on your feet, Peri, this is no time for a lazy doze."

Peri muttered something quite rude but the Doctor's attention was already back on the structure in the distance.

"And precisely why do we need to be air bound?"

"Because the Tardis is back where that thing came from. Or," Peri hesitated, "where one of them came from, anyway."

"And would you happen to know which one?" The Doctor sighed as Peri's shoulders rose and fell, "Excellent."

"Hey," Peri rallied, "but if we can find that old lady, we can just follow her again. Come of, Doctor, last one to the Vomitorium is a wuss."

"Vomitorium? Vomitorium! Good grief, human's can be literal sometimes."

Peri's determined stride faltered and she turned on slightly unsteady legs to stare at him, "No, that's not my word for it, it's what they call it."

The Doctor's longer step had already put him ahead of Peri and she was hurrying to catch up when he said, "Yes, I know; the humans. Now do come along, Peri!"

* * *

Vastra had insisted on looking into the Committee Of The Mending Apparatus room once more. They had stood in the doorway, Vastra considering the last, dying machines with a critical eye and her companions staring in disbelief.

"And the Committee?" Jenny said.

Vastra shook her head and then said, "I fear there is little chance of using any of this equipment to warn the inhabitants of this hive."

Kuno, who had been staring in horror at the dust-thick table and the failed consoles, had whispered, "the Central Committee room will have a way of communicating with everyone."

With that they had left, Kuno struggling to summon one of the cars from a malfunctioning control in the wall before their transport arrived and they were speeding towards the airship.

Vastra considered employing the Vortex Manipulator to disguise her appearance but dismissed the idea. It would waste energy that she and Jenny might need at any time and if these humans were horrified by her appearance, very well. They required what her lover would call, 'a good kick up the arse,' Vastra thought, and she was happy to provide it.

"Madame?" Jenny said as the car slowed and the wall slid open to disgorge them, "You alright?"

Vastra's smile beamed through her dirty face, "I am, my dear, I thank you."

"You're filthy, mind," Jenny said, tutting loudly as they stepped on to the platform and made their way towards the familiar glass lift.

She checked her pantaloons for pockets, found none and tutted again. Undeterred, Jenny loosed the neckerchief that had come with the outfit, spat mightily upon it's white silk and scrubbed at Vastra's face with some vigour. Vastra accepted the attentions with a growl of embarrassment, aware of Kuno staring at them in shock.

"Forgive my companion," Vastra said around the busy silk, "she is quite particular about my appearance."

"Some-bloomin'-body has to be," Jenny muttered. After a moment more, she said, "Well, not so good as a bath but it'll do."

"You are most kind, my dear."

Jenny swatted at Vastra's arm and grinned, "And don't you forget it, Madame."

"How could I?" Vastra got in before they reached the lift and were bustled inside along with three others.

Vastra studied them closely, aware that they were as poorly nourished and unfortunately toiletted as the man in his bath earlier. She despaired for the creatures but they could do no more than give them warning of their impending doom and remove themselves from its path.

"Can't the Doctor get them all out?" Jenny whispered as if she'd read Vastra's thoughts in the uncomfortable silence of the lift, "With this Tardis thingy so big on the inside, I mean."

Vastra considered the idea for a moment and then shook her head, "I fear not; there is a limit to a Time Lord's involvement. Where the line falls may be blurred but it exists even so."

"So it's the surface or bust then," Jenny said and wondered which these scrawny little people would take.

* * *

Peri had been playing a silent game for the past half mile or so. She liked to call it, 'How should I kill thee, let me count the ways,' and played it exclusively when she was with the Doctor at his most annoying.

"What you human's always fail to understand," he pontificated, largely to himself, "is that-"

"How do we get in, do you think?" Peri interrupted him.

The Doctor turned to stare at her, a flash of anger colouring his cheeks before he settled his mind to the question. They both considered the structure which rose from the earth ahead of them.

"I mean," Peri waved vaguely at the expanse of green around them, "When they throw people out here, they don't want them to come back, right?"

"One would assume so," the Doctor said absently.

He patted his pocket and Peri added, "I hope you didn't go on and on about your sonic screwdriver while you were with Madame Vastra."

"No, of course not, barely mentioned it at all. And, for your information, that was not what I was looking for."

"Which was?"

"Skeleton key," he answered, his mind delving into his pockets ahead of his thrusting hands.

They continued their march across the softly undulating landscape and after a while the Doctor gave a heavy sigh and muttered something about carrying the essentials.

"My second incarnation always managed to have just the right tool to hand," he said aloud, "And even that oaf with the scarf had a way with pockets."

"I just bet he did. So, any thoughts?"

The ground below them was less softly undulating now. There was an artificial look to the smooth run of scrubby grass and less give beneath their step. Peri considered it with a botanist's eye and decided that the topsoil could be barely more than two inches deep. She took a few bouncing steps and ignored the Doctor's quizzical gaze.

"You have a spring in your step, Miss Brown."

"But less than I did back there," Peri hefted a thumb over her shoulder. "I'd say this whole area was shiny metal a while ago."

"Nature will always reclaim her domain eventually; no metal will outlast her patience. Now then," the Doctor slowed his stride to match Peri's gait, "I have an idea but it might require a little climbing."

"Doctor! Do you really think -"

And then the ground shook, gave a loud groaning sound and buckled at their feet.

* * *

In the structure itself, Vastra, Jenny and Kuno were being shepherded towards another airship. Up ahead Jenny could see the slumped, miserable form of Vashti. Kuno made to approach her but his nascent words gave way to a cry of shock as the structure beneath them lurched first one way and then the other.

The few people waiting with them gave the same startled cries, casting panicked glances from one another to the lone attendant at the entrance to the gondola. A second figure joined him and Jenny waved to the woman she and Peri had spoken with earlier.

"Get them inside!" she called out.

Vastra bundled Kuno forward, cutting through the panic and shouting, "Pray, everyone in the airship immediately."

It had little effect on most of them; their fear and shock completely overpowering their senses. They appeared utterly unable to deal with even the slightest trouble. Kuno moved though and moved decisively. He shouldered his way through the thin crowd and wrapped an arm around his Mother, forcing her on towards the ship.

She gave a gasp of shock and tried to push him away but he held firm, almost lifting her off her feet. Throwing her bodily at the attendant, he turned back to encourage the others onward. Vastra and Jenny were attempting to herd them from behind and most were beginning to find their legs, if not their good sense.

The structure gave a shriek of protest and dropped beneath their feet. There was a moment of weightlessness, a feeling of being suspended on nothing but air, then the structure settled at a dangerous angle and the shriek settled to a low, pained groan.

The floor was treacherous now, sloping steeply. Long cracks had opened in the previously smooth run of metal and the tall sheets of darkened glass strained under the compression of their frames. A sudden snap of breaking glass distracted them all but only for a moment and then Vastra's loud encouragements resumed.

"Board the vessel," she shouted, "everyone must board the vessel."

Jenny added her own, less polite suggestions and eventually the half a dozen travellers were aboard. Vastra and Jenny turned as one to look back but there was no-one else on their level.

"What should we do?" Jenny asked.

"We can do nothing but get to-"

Vastra's words were cut off as the structure tumbled again. The section that attached to the airship had broken free of the main structure, pulled apart by the stress of the sudden disintegration. The windows shattered and glass rained down on the ground far below. Long metal beams buckled and broke, leaving jagged spikes thrusting out into the air.

Both women were thrown to the tilting floor. Jenny fell back, sliding towards the now open side of the structure. She scrambled against her momentum but only seemed to increase her speed. The side of the structure was barely more than tatters, what beams remained hung loose and drooping. Jenny rolled along one such beam and flailed wildly for a handhold.

Vastra struggled to right herself, her eyes locked on Jenny's tumbling form. She pushed herself forward, lunging towards her lover and feeling the angle of the floor draw her on. She stretching desperately, reaching her arms out, one towards Jenny, one seeking a hold with which to secure them both.

Jenny looked out over the vast drop down to the distant green below. She felt her body tumble over the edge of what remained of the structure, felt the jagged metal tug at her clothing and knew that she must fall. One hand flailed behind her in desperation but she only regretted that she could not see Vastra as she fell.

And then her arm caught something and her momentum was halted in one rapid, painful jolt. Jenny hung over the side of the pitched structure, her entire body exposed to the cooling air beyond. Her shoulder gave a loud crack of protest, her arm burned and Jenny screamed in shock.

Vastra tensed against the sudden pull on her tenuous grip. She wrapped her fingers as tightly as she could around Jenny's wrist, regretting the sounds of pain that her rescue had elicited. After the briefest moment to check the grip of her other hand, Vastra began to heft her lover back onto the structure.

Jenny's free arm lashed out for a moment, unable to stop her pained body from fighting against the strain. She calmed herself and reached up to find some handhold or other to assist her rescuer.

Vastra felt the slight lessening of Jenny's weight and appreciated the boost to Jenny upward momentum as they both pulled her back. After agonies of time and effort, Jenny's weight returned to the floor of the structure and she was able to scramble to safety with little more than Vastra's encouragement.

They met in a heap of exhaustion and relief some yards away from the opening. Jenny pressed herself into Vastra's body and held on with what little strength she had left. Vastra wrapped her aching arms around her lover for a moment before reluctantly pulling back.

"The airship," she said and they both looked up to see Kuno hanging out of the hatch of the gondola, waving frantically at them. The vessel had broken free of its moorings, though not through the occupant's intentions. Two short beams of the platform hung limp from the entrance and a corresponding section of the structure itself was missing.

The dirigible appeared to be listing badly, drawn off its natural axis by the weight of the beams. They dragged it further away from the structure and the wind caught at the balloon, pulling it on.

"Madame," Jenny said and struggled to right them both. Vastra scrambled to her feet and yanked Jenny up with her. Jenny gave a yelp of pain but followed nonetheless. Vastra thrust them both forward, ignoring the protesting screech of metal at their feet and the deep groaning from lower in the weakening structure.

"Hurry!" Kuno yelled at them.

* * *

The ground rolled beneath their feet and both Peri and the Doctor were sent tumbling. Peri pulled herself to her knees despite the buckling metal that now forced its way back through the topsoil. A few yards away, the Doctor was struggling to his feet. His voluminous coat had snagged in a shard of metal that had thrust up through the earth.

"Doctor!"

Peri scrambled over to him and tugged at the material of his coat. It tore free and the Doctor pulled himself clear of the sharp teeth that had sprung up around him. He looked back to his companion, a smile of gratitude giving way to annoyance as he saw the long strip of red material in her hand.

"Really Peri!"

"Seriously, you're angry about this," Peri waved the material towards the structure that had been their destination, "when that's happening?"

The Doctor turned to stare up at the tilting structure that now loomed above them. The metal gave another loud shriek of protest and the whole towering edifice lurched to the side. Metal and dark glass rained down around them. The Doctor threw himself at Peri, covering her bodily until the deluge had ceased.

As they unfurled once more, their eyes return to the structure and Peri gasped. Most of the near side was now exposed to the evening air.

"It's like a giant ripped it off," Peri muttered.

The Doctor pointed to the airship that now hung at a strange angle from its moorings, "Very poetic, Peri, but look."

They hurried forward a few steps and stopped again, staring up at the ship and the tiny figure who appeared to be reaching back for someone.

There was another loud groan from the structure, another thrust of entropy's hand and it tilted yet further. Peri gasped, waiting for the tower to settle back into some vague stability or to fall away completely. The ground shook violently and they both struggled to keep their balance. The Doctor bustled Peri into his side, offering what little protection he could.

The faintest echo of a scream came from above and then a dark speck shot out over the edge of the tattered airship dock. The figure appeared to hang in the air for a moment and then their fall was arrested. The dark form swung over the edge, tiny arms and legs flailing madly, and then was pulled back into what might pass for safety.

"Nice save," Peri muttered, buoyed by the rescue.

A tremor shook the ground once more, though it was not enough to do more than shake the structure. They kept their joint balance and Peri looked up at the Doctor's darkening face.

"We need to be on that airship, don't we?"

"I'm afraid so," he said gravely.

* * *

Vastra and Jenny ran across the uneven floor of the structure and Vastra launched her lover over the widening gap to the gondola. She was gratified to see Kuno reach out and haul Jenny inside but had only a moment for such thought before throwing herself over the abyss. The increasing distance caused her to misjudge and Vastra found herself scrambling for a hold at the edge of the hatchway.

Jenny shouted her encouragement and Vastra felt hands pulling her into the gondola. She dragged herself the final few inches and rolled on to the floor in an undignified heap. Jenny and Kuno stood above her, Jenny's anguished expression giving way to a grin. Vastra looked up at her and laughed, though she could not think why. Kuno's eyes flicked between then and he shook his head in confusion.

Jenny offered Vastra a hand and dragged her to her feet. Her shoulder gave another loud crack and she swore under her breath before working her newly restored shoulder joint into some sort of function. Vastra was about to speak when Jenny's eyes widened, her gaze locked on the ground far below them.

"My dear?"

Jenny pointed, "Is that the Doctor and Miss Peri?"

Vastra turned and Kuno joined them, all three leaning out of the still open entranceway. Kuno muttered, "Wait a moment," and took a few hasty steps into the gondola. He returned with a short eyeglass, though it proved surprisingly effective when Vastra pressed it to her eye.

Far below, the two small figures resolved themselves into the brightly-clad, rotund figure of the Doctor and the more lithe, though no less startlingly dressed Miss Brown.

"It is indeed, my dear," Vastra passed the glass to her lover, "and I believe they wish to hail a cab."

Vastra turned on her heels and found their fellow travellers clustered in a terrified group only a few yards into the gondola. The male attendant stood sentinel before them, his face a mask of rage.

"You!" he blustered, "You are an abomination. You have caused-"

His words were cut off my a well aimed right hook from a very angry Victorian lady's maid. Jenny rubbed her aching knuckles, worked her other shoulder in a wide arc and muttered darkly.

Vastra watched with a mixture of pride and censor. The cluster of natives had fallen back with the weight of the tumbling attendant and now lined the gondola's outer wall. They stared in terror and Jenny cast them a feral grin.

"Really, my dear," Vastra chastised, though her tone was light. She looked to the female attendant whose dark eyes were sparkling with something that might have been delight, "I must take control of this vessel, Miss...?"

"Lina," she said but was interrupted by Vashti's angry words.

"You cannot!" the old woman spluttered, "The Machine does not allow-"

"The Machine stops, Mother," Kuno rounded on her, his eyes ablaze, "Your beloved Machine; your holy Machine; your mother, father and friend: it stops!"

There was utter silence in the airship, leaving a void filled only by the rising winds that whipped at the open entrance and buffeted the vessel. Vashti's fellows stared at Kuno, more horrified by his words than by Jenny's violence.

"He's right," Jenny growled, "you can't live like this any more."

"Indeed," Vastra said, "but that is irrelevant now." She turned back to Lina and said, "The controls? Kuno, have our friends here settle themselves out of the way," she added, already cutting through the crowd, "and, pray, find a very long rope, my dear."

They turned away but as they went Lina said, "There are ladders in there," pointing Jenny to a compartment set close to the hatch.

As she strode through the terrified natives, Vastra growled at the male attendant, "Put these people elsewhere, good man."

Jenny grinned at the man's shocked expression and shooed him and his fellows away. She turned back to find Kuno already yanking open the compartment. A knot of rope and wood tumbled out at his feet and he stared at it in confusion.

"It's a rope ladder," Jenny said and made to help him untangle it. As she moved something tugged at her arm and she spun around to stare into Vashti's burning eyes, "You should get out of the way," Jenny said and reluctantly added, "Ma'am."

"I demand to -"

"Oh shut up, you daft old bat," Jenny said and shook off her grasp.

She joined Kuno, ignoring his Mother's shock. They pulled and twisted the rope ladder until it began to unfurl. Kuno took the few steps back to the entrance and it revealed itself.

"Ingenuious," he said.

"An abomination," his Mother muttered.

Jenny opened her mouth to reply but the sudden shift of the floor beneath her caused her to loose her grip on the rope and tumble into the side wall of the gondola. Across the aisle, Kuno did the same and Jenny was aware of Vashti falling to the floor behind them.

"Oi," Jenny called back in the general direction of Vastra's exit, "steady as she goes."

She grinned at Kuno who was righting himself once more and staring out of the still-open entrance to the gondola.

"We are falling."

"Falling in a good way or falling in a bad way?" Jenny asked and she joined him, rope ladder in hand, and stared down at the fast approaching ground, "Or both."

* * *

The Doctor and Peri were running towards the airship, arms waving, their loud shouts whipped around them by the rising wind. Peri stumbled on the uneven ground and the Doctor once again grabbed at her arm to steady her.

"Oh boy," she said as the vessel suddenly dropped to its side and veered towards them.

The Doctor slowed his stride for a moment, then grinned, "I think our ride might be on its way."

"How do we get -" Peri began and then repeated, "Oh boy."

Above them, though not as far above them as it had been, two figures could be seen unrolling a rope ladder from the gondola's entrance. It danced in the air, toyed with by the wind as it unfurled and then hung extended below the airship.

The vessel lurched again, tipped in the opposite direction but continued its downward trajectory. It hovered for a moment, shaking violently, then lurched and dropped once more. They were still some yards from the ladder but the lowest rungs now bumped and bounced on the ground. Occasionally they would be yanked up into the air as the dirigible was buffeted by the wind, each time being pulled a little further away from the Doctor and Peri.

They ran, red coat billowing out behind them, and as the wind blew the airship a little closer to them, the Doctor encouraged Peri with a mighty shove. She gave a shriek of surprise but reached out and grabbed at the nearest rung just as the airship bounced into the air once more. Peri was lifted from the ground, legs kicking wildly below and arms stretched above.

"Pull yourself up, Peri!"

"What d'ya think I'm doing, callisthenics?"

The Doctor didn't deign to reply, his arms already reaching out for the bottom rung of the ladder as the airship fell back a little. He took hold, causing Peri to give another shriek as the ladder tightened beneath her and she lost her tenuous foothold. They both hung from the ladder, fighting to stabilise themselves as the airship bounced around.

Some way above, a thin voice called down, "Hold on!" and then a quieter, "We've got them, Madame," said into the body of the gondola.

After only a moment, the ladder jerked upward as the airship rose unsteadily, though deliberately, away from the ground. "Climb Peri!" the Doctor shouted from only a few rungs below her and they began a slow ascent.

Encouraged - and infuriated - by the Doctor's occasional advice, Peri moved on, always telling herself not to look down. After what felt like an age, she could see Jenny's grinning face leaning over the edge of the gondola's hatchway. Kuno eased her aside and crouched down to reach an arm out and Peri took the last few rungs before taking his hand and allowing Kuno to pull her to safety.

They scrambled back, clearing the entrance for the Doctor's arrival a minute later. Both weary and wind-battered, they lay on the floor, staring up at the concerned expressions that Jenny and Kuno wore.

"Miss Brown? Doctor? Are you alright?"

"Somewhat worse for the wear, Miss Flint, but pleased not to have to walk all the way back to the Tardis."

"You had to bring that up," Peri muttered and stood up on shaking legs. Jenny propped her up until she found her air legs and said, "Thanks."

"I assume Madame Vastra is flying this thing?" the Doctor said.

Kuno pointed inside the gondola and said, "I'll show you."

"Good man. Come along, Peri!"

Jenny and Peri shared a grimace but followed his lead as they hurried through the gondola, cutting through the dining room and into a narrow corridor beyond. A small galley and other rooms opened on each side until they reached a large door that was already open. Beyond was an unused navigation area which opened on to the control car itself.

The cockpit seemed better suited to a naval vessel than a form of air transport. At its centre was a large metal ship's wheel set into a sweeping semi-circle of consoles. Unlike the Committee room below, the equipment gleamed, lights flashed and small but urgent beeping sounds filled the space.

There stood Madame Vastra, Lina at her side. The attendant's dark eyes were wide with excitement and she grinned at Peri as they entered.

"No pilot, I see," the Doctor said as he took up the First Lieutenant's position on Vastra's other shoulder.

Vastra turned, casting a loving smile at her companion and acknowledged Peri before saying, "The system was entirely automated, Doctor." He considered the shredded wiring that hung limp from the control panel immediately below the wheel and tutted. Vastra glared at him and said, "There was no time for subtlety."

"But can you get us to this other habitation, Madame?"

"Course she can," Jenny said from behind them.

"Goddess willing, I believe so."

* * *

It took some time for the airship to reach its destination. They had bounced and drifted in the increasingly violent winds that appeared to match the sudden lurching of the ground below them.

"It's like the whole planet's fighting back," Peri said to Jenny as they stared out of the same portal they had looked through not too long before. Now the vessel shook, dropped and rose erratically. They both held on to their seats as Peri added, "Do me a favour? Never let Madame Vastra drive a car."

"A car?"

"A horseless carriage, Miss Flint," the Doctor explained, as he stumbled down the narrow aisle towards them.

"Are we there yet?" Peri asked.

"You haven't enjoyed the journey, Peri?" the Doctor smiled but rushed on in the face of Peri's glare, "Almost there, yes. Madame Vastra is somewhat unsure how to bring us to a stop though. I've been sent to ask you both to hold on tight."

"What did you thing we were doing?"

Peri didn't get an answer as Kuno came unsteadily down the aisle, Lina close behind him. The Doctor shuffled into a nearby seat and let them pass before rising again to follow them.

Peri rose too, "I'd better make sure he doesn't fall out or anything."

Jenny reached out for her arm to stop her from leaving. They hugged and Jenny said, "It's been quite an adventure, Miss Peri."

"You're not kidding. But it's not over yet," they both tumbled back as the airship's nose dipped suddenly. Peri muttered and then went on, "so you just take of yourself, Victorian Maid Lady."

Jenny grinned, righted herself with a determined grunt and eased aside to let Peri pass. They waved and Peri shouted, "See you on the other side," before hurrying out of the door. Jenny made her unsteady way to Vastra's side, finding her lover gripping the airship's wheel with pale fingers.

"Ah, there you are, Jenny, do hold tight." Jenny wrapped both hands around Vastra's waist and pressed close to her back. Vastra's steely glare flickered from the flight deck's large view port to Jenny and a smile shaped her lips, "Not entirely what I had in mind, my dear, but not unwelcome."

"I should bloomin' hope not."

Jenny released Vastra and held on to the recalcitrant wheel, her hands set just below her lover's. They fought against the bucking dirigible, forcing its nose to remain lowered and bringing the vessel down at an increasingly alarming angle. Jenny swallowed hard against the bile that rose in her throat but her grip never faltered.

What had been a speck of grey in the expanse of green below them resolved itself into their destination. Resolved itself rather more quickly than Jenny would have liked, though Vastra appeared unconcerned with the rapidly approaching ground. Jenny glanced up at her and raised her brow.

"Have faith, my dear."

Jenny made an unflattering sound but did as she was bidden. After but five wind-buffeted minutes, the airship was coming in to the super-structure at a speed that felt suicidal. When it was practically upon them, Vastra's hand flashed out and yanked down on one of the double handles at the wheel's side. The engines cut off with a rumbling protest and the airship dropped suddenly. Jenny's stomach went with it.

Vastra's hand returned to the wheel and they fought hard against the bucking vessel but somehow bought it to a crashing halt side-on to the structure. The structure, already weakened by the earthquakes that shook the land, gave a metallic scream. The metal supports buckled on one side, glass raining ineffectually over the airship's thick canopy.

Vastra and Jenny held on to the wheel, their eyes locked on the grey structure that pressed into the side of the vessel. It loomed dark on one side of the view port. The dirigible seemed to squeeze itself as if breathing in, then the gas that filled the canopy struggled back into shape and they bounced away.

The material above them made a piercing sound as the airship slid down the side of the structure. The material caught and loud snaps and tears could be heard above. They dropped and then stopped, dropped and stopped, each bone shaking descent accompanied by the protests of metal, material and screaming passengers.

Vastra and Jenny were thrown into the wheel, then back from it. Vastra loosed the controls and wrapped herself around Jenny, holding her tight to her side as she manoeuvred them to the door and back through the dining cart. As they stepped out on to the platform that circled the gondola, Jenny could hear the whimpering of the passengers within.

"We have to help them, Madame."

"Indeed," Vastra said.

She looked around her but could find nothing that purported to control the door mechanisms. Instead, she wedged her fingers into the crevice of the nearest door and wrenched it open by force. The mechanism appeared to hold for a moment and then gave with a hiss. That hiss was joined by a series of them all along the line of cabins as each door opened in turn.

Vastra stood in the doorway, blocking Jenny's view into the cabin. "Madame?" she said, sensing the tension in her lover's response.

Vastra eased aside, turning away from the cabin to offer Jenny a sad shake of the head, "I believe the poor creature died of fright, my dear."

"But no-one dies of -" Jenny began but the sight of the wretched man curled into a foetal position in the centre of the cabin halted her words, "Well that don't bode well."

"Indeed not."

Vastra could say no more as the inhabitants of the cabins further along the gondola were beginning to peek out. A few at least, one of whom was an irate Vashti. Her anger appeared to make her bold and for a moment Jenny saw something of Kuno in her.

"I demand to know," she began but stopped when she found two hard glares awaiting her, "You!" she finished accusingly.

"Yes Mrs, us," Jenny said, "now help your mates there while we try to save your lives."

With that Jenny was off, stomping down the platform and only increasing the agitation of the few passengers who had dared step out of the cabins. Vastra bowed formally at the mute old woman and followed.

"Pray, remain here until called," she told the others as she strode on.

At the entrance, they found the Doctor and Kuno lashing the airship to the structure as best they could. The vessel had come to rest propped up against the base of the structure on a bed of shattered glass and strips of metal. The wind above and the tremors below shook the floor at their feet and shifted the dirigible above. Through the weakened and torn structure, they could make out the terrified faces of attendants and others.

"Why aren't they getting out?" Peri said. She and Lina stood at the nearest portal on the structure side and stared back. "We have to get them out of there," she added to Lina.

Jenny joined them and said, "They're so scared, they're just dying."

"My Mother?" Kuno said in a startled gasp.

"Is quite herself, I assure you," Vastra answered with a grimace.

As if on cue, the harsh voice came from behind them, "What are you people -" and trailed off as she saw the structure beyond the gondola's hatch, "What have you done? Sabotage!"

"Jeez, lady! Why would we -"

"When will you get it through your thick -"

Peri and Jenny began at the same time. Peri indicated that Jenny was welcome to go on but she only made an unladylike sound and dismissed Vashti with a glare.

"Mother, please," Kuno came to her side, taking a withered hand despite Vashti's desperate attempts to pull away from the contact, "you must wait outside; help to form some sort of area where everyone can gather."

"We really must get the people out of these dreadful hives," the Doctor said, straightening to his full height and staring down on the old woman, "As a respected elder," he began, ignoring another dismissive sound from Jenny and continuing in a charming tone, "As a respected elder, they will require your guidance."

Vashti stared up at him and said, "I will return to my room and the Machine will put right all of your heinous crimes. You will be punished, Kuno, all of you." It would have made for an impressive exit, had she been able to exit the gondola at all. Instead, she marched up to the entrance, brushed the Doctor aside and shouted, "I wish to enter," through the gaping holes.

Her words at least seemed to galvanise the people within and two attendants set about clearing the wreckage enough to lay out some sort of temporary gangway. It looked ancient and was covered in dust; perhaps the original method of disembarkation or perhaps some rarely used emergency equipment.

Vashti gave a sharp note of satisfaction before making her shuffling, unsteady escape from the chaos. She stepped into yet more chaos but ignored it all, ignored too the confused questioning of the rabble within. She cut through the people and waited impatiently by the lift doors.

The Doctor followed and called out, "Don't dawdle, Peri."

"Yeah, I'll dawdle you," Peri muttered.

They made their way across the gangplank and stepped down on to an uneven, glass-strewn floor. The structure had suffered a little less than the one they had left behind but the design did not appear to withstand even the most minor of tremors. As was illustrated when another series of faint ripples shook the ground.

Dust and shards fell around them and the faint cracks of the floor widened perceptibly. Ancient metal, barely cared for in who knew how long had finally succumbed to the ravages of time and there was little that could be done but escape.

The Doctor attempted to ask for information from some of the attendants but Vashti called out, "Do not speak with them; they are enemies of the Machine."

The confused atmosphere changed instantly and attendants and passengers alike suddenly wore grave, even angry expressions.

"Couldn't you just thump her?" Jenny whispered to Peri.

"Be my guest," Peri grinned but quieted at the disapproving stares of the Doctor and Madame Vastra.

"We should get on, Madame," the Doctor said and strode to the lift.

It opened after a little tinkering from the Doctor, watched by the increasingly belligerent natives, but closed on their anger just as another tremor struck. Everyone stood, staring hard at the shaking walls as the lift fell away below them. The tremor ended but the lift still rattled, even banging against the walls of the shaft as they dropped rather too quickly.

Vastra forced the doors open and shepherded her lover out first, recognising the unfortunate green tinge of her skin, though finding it rather attractive too. Jenny shivered, muttered, "I never trusted them windlass things," and then straightened up to look around at yet another platform with unbroken metal walls.

Unbroken by doors, though not by cracks that now traced irregular patterns down the length of the platform. A car chugged towards them with none of the speed or stability that they had shown before.

"This place really is falling apart at the seams," Peri said.

"And we must get everyone out," the Doctor said, "Or at least as many of them as will go."

Jenny cast Vastra a doubtful look and her lover shrugged, "We must do what we can, my dear."

"Right then, where to Mr Kuno?" Jenny said.

Kuno's expression was distant, "My Mother will return to her room."

"Not using that lift," the Doctor chuckled, "I may have done something unfortunate to the controls."

"Well done, Doctor."

Kuno shook his head sadly, "There are others; she will find a way."

"Ah, well Kuno old chap, let's get to this Committee of yours and make sure no-one gets anywhere but to the surface."

"It would be quicker to walk," Peri said some minutes later as the car dragged itself down the tunnel. The car shook violently, though not due to another tremor. Peri muttered, "And safer."

"Stout heart, Perpigillium, we'll be there in -"

The car slowed even more and rocked as it left the tunnel and came to a shuddering halt before a large set of double doors bedecked with the legend, 'Central Committee.'

"Don't say it, Doctor," Jenny told him in a dramatic whisper, "or I think she might hit you."

He leaned into her and replied in kind, "You may be correct, Miss Flint."

Kuno and Vastra had to force the side of the car open and the mere act of exiting left it rocking wildly. With a long, slow groan of protest, the car shuddered again and toppled over. The metal of its far side buckled, glass tinkling to the ground.

"We will be walking from here on, Miss Brown," Vastra said.

"Shh," Jenny hissed, "listen."

They stopped in their tracks, heads leaning towards the next tunnel where Jenny's outstretched hand indicated. There were definite sounds coming from the far end, the tunnel distorting and diminishing them but not silencing them completely. There was the always present background hum, though it was erratic now and even stopped for long moments before returning with an ever more uncomfortable pitch. Above that there was an irregular howl like the cries of some wounded animal. And amongst that there was something else.

"It's people," Jenny said.

"Indeed," Vastra strained to pick up specific voices, "they appear to be crying out in fear."

On some barely perceptible gust of air from further down the tunnel, a piercing cry reached them, "Oh Great Machine, save us!"

"Some of them are on the platforms," Kuno said, "I must help them."

He made to rush off down the tunnel but Jenny grabbed for his arm, "Be careful, Mr Kuno," and hugged him.

He returned the gesture, offering her a sad smile before acknowledging the best wishes of her companions and turning back for the tunnel. They watched him drop down to the rails and hurry into the darkness.

"Pray, guide them to the surface Sir," Vastra called out behind him.

"That would be our job, Madame," the Doctor said and strode for the committee room doors.

He and Vastra heaved at the doors which seemed to be locked from the inside. Jenny and Peri added their own weight and the doors finally began to move. There was a loud rumble from beyond and the sounds of debris crashing away as the doors opened enough for Jenny to press through the narrow gap.

"Bleedin' 'ell!"

"My dear?" Vastra said and gave the doors another mighty shove. The gap widened a little and Vastra squeezed through.

Peri grinned at the Doctor and said, "Just breath in, Doctor," as she followed.

He harrumphed, slipped off his coat and left it on the floor, then eased himself into the room. He joined the others in staring at what might once have been a place of great control. Now it was a shambles; dust and debris from the crumbling structure covering everything.

What had been another large table was crushed under a steel girder that had fallen away from one side of the room and now speared through the table. Chairs were scattered around and the consoles that ringed the room fizzed and sparked dangerously. Most of the damage appeared to be newly wrought but some was evidently much older.

"It rather appears that the Committee hasn't sat for some time," the Doctor mused.

"The consoles, Doctor," Vastra said and made for the nearest one which showed some signs of life. Jenny joined her and watched as her lover tapped away at the controls, her actions growing ever more urgent as the console failed to respond.

"Madame Vastra?" Peri asked from another of the consoles.

"Nothing, Miss Brown."

"Ah," the Doctor drew out the sound, "Now this one might just be serviceable."

They turned to see him bend low over the front panel of the console at the very back of the room. It was larger than the others and Jenny muttered, "Of course he went for that one."

They picked their way through the debris and came to stand behind the Doctor as he stretched up from fumbling at the panel and considered the screen once more. Text crawled across the expanse of green, though some letters were barely formed and a few areas of the screen were entirely blank.

The Doctor sighed and tapped at the controls again. More text appeared and the the screen faded completely. "Well really," the Doctor said and bent to the panel once more.

"What if you just," Jenny began and gave the side of the console a good thump, "do that?"

"The high-tech approach," Peri laughed, "I like it."

"Well, I do not," the Doctor said but before he could get into his stride, the screen blinked on again and text surged to fill it, "Good grief."

Jenny shrugged, "It's just like the stove back home."

Vastra beamed with pride for a moment before saying, "Can you order an evacuation?"

"I certainly hope so," he said after a pause to accommodate a long, bone shaking tremor that filled the room with grinding noises. More debris showered down from the gash in the ceiling and the girder shifted slightly, causing a growl of protest from the stricken table.

"Pray, hope more quickly, Doctor. My dear," Vastra eased Jenny back and leaned in to her, "remain close to me, please; we must be touching for this device to work."

Jenny considered the vortex manipulator at her wrist and swallowed hard, "What's it like?"

"Somewhat unpleasant but also extremely affective."

"It kicks like a mule," Peri added unhelpfully.

"Peri really!" the Doctor said and immediately after, "There." He raised a finger skyward and waited a moment. A weak, robotic voice began to drone out a message that was at first incomprehensible but slowly evolved into a warning to leave the hive immediately. "Now, the Tardis, Peri? Wherever did you leave the old girl?"

"That's it?" Jenny said, "We just leave the poor buggers?"

"I'm afraid we must, Miss Flint," the Doctor rose from his seat and attempted to look commanding. Jenny's glare did not waver at all and he deflated a little. Before he could say more, Jenny interrupted him.

"And what about Mr Kuno and his Mam? I mean, she might be an evil old cow but she's his evil old cow, isn't she?"

"Aptly put but these people must make their own way from here on and we really must find the Tardis before she's buried alive."

"It's a box!" Jenny said.

"Don't even go there," Peri warned and added, "We need to get out and the Tardis is near to the old woman's room so come on and let's find them both."

Vastra took Jenny's hand with a gentle, "My dear," and lead her out of the room behind the trotting Doctor and his companion. Peri hesitated as she stepped through the large doors and they had to pull up sharply. It was only when Peri moved on and they moved out to the platform that they realised why. The cries of fear and anguish had grown louder, cries that echoed down the tunnels.

"Come on you three!" the Doctor said as he retrieved his coat and hurried to the end of the platform. He pulled the battered garment on and then dropped down to the rails.

They formed a line and skirted the edge of the tunnel by habit but there was little chance of one of the cars racing by. Far greater chance of the roof caving in on them or the now endless tremors forcing the very earth up around them. As they walked, lights flashed out an indication of the path heading back towards the lifts and safety. They were dim and there were long gaps between functioning bulbs but they were enough to light their way.

"Evidently someone was capable of imagine the worst at one point in their past," Vastra said.

"Much good that's doing the poor souls now," Jenny said.

She kept a firm grip on Vastra's hand, knowing that her lover would keep her safe; that she would get them both home immediately, should the situation demand it. Jenny didn't much fancy the prospect of travelling with the vortex manipulator - the Tardis had been quite enough and she had barely been aware of its transit - but she wanted to die here far less.

They stepped out of the darkness of the tunnel and struggled to pull themselves up to the cracked and uneven platform. The doors to each room were open and two showed the huddled bodies of the terrified creatures within.

The Doctor attempted to rouse them with gentle words before barking an order in such a loud, commanding tone that one of them actually shot up from her foetal position and stared, wide-eyed, at him.

"You must evacuate," he said slowly and pointed with exaggerated stress, "Walk that way, follow the lights and go to the surface."

At the last word the woman froze, her entire body quivering with fear. Jenny released Vastra's hand and marched up to the woman, slapping her face and snapping, "Get yourself moving right now!"

Whatever Victorian decorum might have dictated, it was effective and the woman ran stumbling out of the room. With a great many horrified glances back, she followed the Doctor's outstretched hand and reached the end of the platform. Jenny shooed her on and added a few phrases that would make any guttersnipe proud as she hesitated at the mouth of the tunnel.

"Right," Jenny said, flexing her hand deliberately, "what about the others?"

The Doctor crouched down beside the second body and shook his head, "This one appears to have died of fright."

"Oh jeez," Peri said, hurrying out of the third of the four doors with her hand over her mouth, "I think that one's been dead for weeks."

"And this one's empty," Jenny said, poking her head into the fourth room.

"Then we must move on," Vastra said, already hurrying for the next tunnel.

They emerged at the end of a particularly strong tremor and Jenny stared up at the gouges that ripped through the ceiling above them, "That one felt different."

"I suspect the entire hive is caving in, Miss Flint," the Doctor said in a grave tone, "And we really must find the Tardis."

"How about there," Peri said and pointed to the familiar blue box.

"Hello, old gal," the Doctor said.

"It's just a box," Jenny insisted in a whisper.

The Tardis stood on an angle, the ground beneath it having pushed up, and there was a pile of debris knee-high around it but she was accessible. The Doctor made for her immediately but a familiar voice halted his companions.

"Mother, please," Kuno's voice rang out from the opening of the next tunnel.

They turned to watch him lead his shambling Mother out. She stumbled, though it was difficult to tell whether it was from fear and exhaustion or from an unwillingness to move at all. Kuno physically scooped up the withered figure and carried her towards the platform. She struggled in his arms but his greater strength won out and he settled her on the platform's edge as he pulled himself up, then lifted her into his arms once more.

"Mr Kuno!" Jenny said and hurried to his aid. It was only then that she saw how tiny and frail the old woman looked, more so even than before. "Is she hurt?"

Kuno shook his head, tears splashing on to his Mother's ashen face, "There are no injuries but," he stumbled on the uneven flooring and Vashti barely registered the danger, "as the Machine dies, she dies."

"As do many of your brethren," Vastra said.

"Doctor," Peri started but he held up a forestalling hand.

"No, Peri, we can't help them. I really am so sorry, old chap."

Kuno stared at the box but shook his head, "I would have my Mother see the surface of her own home before she dies, Doctor, not of some other place."

"But you could take them to the surface," Jenny insisted, "Save him having to carry her all the way!"

"No," Kuno said, "that is what I must do. You must go," he added as another tremor struck and the hive shook violently, "You must go now. Travel safely, my friends," he added, his voice uncertain as he said the unfamiliar words.

"We will, you too," Peri said and patted his shoulder before turning towards the Tardis.

"Your world will need strong leaders, Kuno. Help your people rebuild," the Doctor said as he wrapped a protective arm around Peri and shepherded her to the Tardis door. "Madame, Miss Flint," he encouraged, as Peri slipped inside. Vastra waited while her lover gave Kuno an awkward hug around his Mother's huddled body and stepped to her side. She placed a supportive arm around Jenny's back and felt the ramrod tension there.

"You go on, Doctor," Vastra called back, "Jenny and I will make our own way home."

"Very well," he said doubtfully, "Go soon; there really isn't much time. It has been an honour and a privilege, Madame. I look forward to meeting you both in the future."

"I suspect we will, Doctor, Miss Brown. Bon voyage." Vastra watched as the Tardis door closed behind them and then turned back to Kuno, "You must go now and, pray, do not stop for anyone or anything."

Kuno nodded, gave the collapsing tunnel one last glance and then made for the end of the platform. He placed Vashti carefully on the edge and then jumped down. Giving them a final wave of farewell, he scooped up the tiny figure and hurried into the tunnel.

Just as he disappeared into the darkness the hive gave another long, shudder and the roof above them shattered into deadly shards of metal and rock, sheered boulders tumbling around them. Vastra pressed her body close to Jenny, lifting her arm against the tide of debris that rained down on them and slapping at the device on her wrist.

* * *

Inside the Tardis, Peri watched as the viewscreen faded to the blue-black of the vortex. The Doctor bustled about the console, checking readings and muttering about his, 'Poor old girl.' Peri shook off the familiar sense that they could have done more. She understood why they couldn't but there was always a period of mourning when they left a situation that was far from resolved.

"They will be OK, won't they Doctor?" He looked up from the console, raising a brow in question and Peri added, "Madame Vastra and Jenny, I mean. They'll get home safely."

"Of course! I repaired the Vortex Manipulator myself. It got Madame Vastra and I there, remember?"

"I guess," she said uncertainly and the Doctor tutted.

"Come now, Peri, I dare say we'll see them again soon enough."

There was a long pause while the Doctor shed his coat and muttered again, this time about dry cleaning costs. Peri grinned at him and he appeared sheepish.

"Here," she said and held out her hand, "give me that and I'll take it to the wardrobe room. I don't know how she does it but your Old Gal always gets the clothes clean."

"Sometimes while they're still on you," the Doctor laughed fondly.

Peri took the coat and held it out from her carefully; it really was filthy. She was at the door when she turned, a twinkle in her dark eyes.

"Oh, I know that look," the Doctor wagged a finger in a warning gesture.

"Just a quick pit stop, Doctor, it won't take long, honest. I just need to drop something off at Paternoster Row."

* * *

The air went from thick, grey dust to a swirling blue-black and then snapped into sharp relief almost in the same instant. Vastra breathed deeply to fend off the rising nausea but her lover had had little time to prepare for their unorthodox journey and suffered far worse.

Jenny bent double, hands pressed hard to her knees as she retched violently. Lights snapped across her vision and the air buzzed like angry bees. She sucked in shallow breathes and became aware of the comforting hand on her back.

"Vastra?"

"Take your time, my dear," the low voice soothed in her ear, "It is not a pleasant mode of transport."

"Too bleedin' right," Jenny said and finally dared to straighten up. She wavered on unsteady legs but found her balance and made to turn into the her lover's embrace. Then stopped and stared in horror at the sight behind Vastra's tall frame. "Madame?" Jenny said slowly, "Where are we?"


End file.
